NIELSON HOPES HIS RADIO BILL GETS THE FCC'S ATTENTION

Rep. Howard Nielson, R-Utah, says he doesn't care whether a bill he introduced Wednesday to standardize radio equipment used by public safety agencies passes or not.

"It's designed mainly just to get the attention of the Federal Communications Commission," he told the Deseret News."They (FCC members) have the jurisdiction to accomplish administratively what we want. This bill shows that if they won't, maybe we will force their hand legislatively."

Nielson, who sits on the committee that oversees the FCC, said radio equipment that various police and other agencies use is often not compatible and often will not allow different agencies to communicate in an emergency.

"Even in Utah we see this problem. A highway patrolman in the field cannot speak directly to a deputy sheriff without being `patched through' by a central operator."